Mint State Morgan dazzles

Prices realized totaled $10.7 million at the Long Beach Coin and Collectibles Expo auction conducted June 8-11 by Heritage.

Leading the results was a 107.76 ounce Kellogg & Humbert gold ingot. It sold for $188,000.

Heritage said it has a stamped value of $2,109.31, in 1857 dollars. Like many others seen today, it was recovered in the S.S. Central America.

An 1893-S Morgan silver dollar graded MS-61 by the Professional Coin Grading Service was hammered at $176,250.

This is the first Mint State example of this coin offered at Heritage Auctions since July 2015. Fewer than 70 examples of this issue have been certified in Mint State grades by the major grading services, a minuscule number when taking into account the popularity of the Morgan dollar series, the cataloger noted.

“The market for rare and unusual specimens is still doing very well,” said Jim Halperin, co-founder of Heritage Auctions. “We saw robust activity at Long Beach with 13 bidders vying for the top lot.”

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Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor (June 5, 2018) Phase out low-value coins and introduce higher values
David Harper’s May 15, 2018, “End of Coins?” editorial was spot on.
Inflation and electronic payments have chipped away on the public’s acceptance of coins. Absent an overhaul of circulating coinage, it’s hard to feel confident that U.S. coins will be in much use 20 years from now.
Will collectors ...